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Post by brogersoslo on Jan 22, 2023 16:02:40 GMT
Hello all, I just purchased my first antique sword. It's a 400 year old sword that looks like it say in a closet for a century. Not in the best of condition, but I personally love the nicks and pit marks as it looks like it's been used and shows it's age, and the price wasn't that bad. That said, I would be curious to know if I should attempt to do any kind of cleaning (i.e. use 3-in-1 or CLP or homemade solution to clean it to make sure it doesn't have dirt or rust, etc). I'm very new to metal in general, so I thought I'd post of some closeup photos of the hilt and blade. If you see anything that looks like it could or should be cleaned off, I'd love to know. I'm not looking to restore the sword or make it look like new (so no sand paper or anything to it), I just want to ensure it's cleaned up and looks as good as possible before sealing it up with something like renaissance wax (or something else if it's better). I do not plan to handle it often, but will want to display it and handle it every so often. Thanks! Brian |
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Post by eastman on Jan 22, 2023 16:53:26 GMT
If this was mine, I would do the following (since it isn't mine, other opinions may be very different)
using a soft brush (like a nylon gun cleaning brush) and CLP, I would clean the metal surfaces to make certain there isn't any active rust
thoroughly de-grease the metal with acetone or isopropyl alcohol
warm the metal with a hair drier and rub a coat of Renaissance Wax on the warm metal (wax should just flow)
cool and buff with a little more Ren Wax and a soft cloth
for the wire on the grip wrap, I would skip directly to the Ren Wax step
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Post by eastman on Jan 22, 2023 16:55:17 GMT
if you have access to disposable gloves (nitrile, latex, etc) then it is a good idea to use them for the de-greasing and waxing steps to prevent the later formation of rusty fingerprints
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 22, 2023 17:50:00 GMT
On the steel I’d use WD-40 and #000 steel wool and nothing more abrasive. For the rest an old tooth brush with a solvent. Gloves, as eastman suggested, is a good idea. Once cleaned I’d suggest white cotton gloves. Renaissance Wax has a good reputation but still make frequent inspections as I’ve had rust to form after using it.
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Post by eastman on Jan 22, 2023 21:34:53 GMT
pgandy - did you warm the metal with a hair drier or heat gun before applying the Ren Wax? That is the secret to the best protection. Museums that used that technique had items which survived salt water exposure after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Learned it from a museum curator.
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Post by brogersoslo on Jan 23, 2023 15:00:20 GMT
Thanks for all the great advice. Time to order some things and do some cleaning and waxing.
Out of curiosity, any of you have experience cleaning lead? I also have an old Byzantium lead cross I've never cleaned but will now and then seal up with renaissance wax as well.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 23, 2023 16:19:06 GMT
pgandy - did you warm the metal with a hair drier or heat gun before applying the Ren Wax? That is the secret to the best protection. Museums that used that technique had items which survived salt water exposure after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Learned it from a museum curator. I did not warm the metal first. I hadn’t been collecting when I tried that wax and wasn’t aware of that technique at the time. But to tell the truth the price of Renaissance Wax by the time I paid international shipping and custom fees plus the US domestic shipping to get it to my freight forwarder and the wax itself discouraged me from any further investigation and substituted car wax which can be bought locally at a fraction of the price. I still have a little left that I think I’ll try on a kettle helmet as I have nothing to lose. |
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Post by eastman on Jan 24, 2023 1:41:39 GMT
According to the same museum curator, they also use bowling ball wax on the big, but less exceptional, pieces due to the price advantage over Ren Wax.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 24, 2023 2:18:49 GMT
According to the same museum curator, they also use bowling ball wax on the big, but less exceptional, pieces due to the price advantage over Ren Wax. That’s good to know, thanks. However, there are no bowling alleys that I know of in my country, but that’s a start. |
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Jan 24, 2023 14:09:04 GMT
How about a pic or two of the entire sword? It would give us a better idea of condition, what you have etc.  |
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Post by brogersoslo on Jan 24, 2023 18:37:45 GMT
How about a pic or two of the entire sword? It would give us a better idea of condition, what you have etc. Sure! It's from early 1600's. I believe it's German made and then imported into Norway. It has been in a family's hands in Bergen (western Norway) for the past 100 years or so before being sold in an auction in Oslo (to me ) Attachments:
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Post by brogersoslo on Jan 25, 2023 18:04:34 GMT
On the steel I’d use WD-40 and #000 steel wool and nothing more abrasive. For the rest an old tooth brush with a solvent. Gloves, as eastman suggested, is a good idea. Once cleaned I’d suggest white cotton gloves. Renaissance Wax has a good reputation but still make frequent inspections as I’ve had rust to form after using it. Would you use WD40 on a soft brush or the 000 steel wool on the wire wrapped grip? I'd like to clean the wrap if I can before sealing it but don't want to hurt the wood. I've been reading that WD40 is good for wood, but CLP is not, so I was wondering if you have experience doing that and then putting wax over it. I am assuming I wouldn't use a solvent first as I don't think that is good for wood, but I don't know for sure. Thanks. |
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 25, 2023 21:05:03 GMT
Would you use WD40 on a soft brush or the 000 steel wool on the wire wrapped grip? I'd like to clean the wrap if I can before sealing it but don't want to hurt the wood. I've been reading that WD40 is good for wood, but CLP is not, so I was wondering if you have experience doing that and then putting wax over it. I am assuming I wouldn't use a solvent first as I don't think that is good for wood, but I don't know for sure. Thanks. I do not know what’s under the wire wrap, leather or wood. The vehicle in WD-40 is a solvent to some degree. I’ve used to remove wax and other unwanted crud. I’ve heard of a man removing paint from his neighbours truck that he’d bought the day before and someone sprayed the truck with a can of aerosol paint during the night. I don’t think that would work if the paint had thoroughly dried though. It seems to me vaguely that I used WD-40 at some point to remove paint that had set but not completely dry. I’d spray a small portion of the hilt or wrap with WD-40 then use a toothbrush to see what happens. I am sure no harm will be done. |
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